Jordan Weissman wrote:If we were talking about undergraduate students, these numbers wouldn't seem quite as awful. But JD's consistently dive six figures into debt and give up three years of other opportunities for an education that prepares them with a very specific, not-so-easily transferred skill set (please forget the old saw that "you can do anything with a law degree").

I wonder what makes Mr. Weissman think this... Yes, undergraduate loans do not accrue interest while one is in school, and even when interest does start accruing several months after they graduate, the rate is much lower. However, at most of the top schools, tuition is still +$40,000 per year.

I understand that students are usually able to work during the school year in undergrad whereas this isn't as feasible with law school, but law students can work summer positions and potentially earn quite a bit during their 2L if they get a summer associate position. Also, the starting salaries of a biglaw lawyer from a top law school and an undergrad from a top university are probably very different, especially if the undergrad majored in something retarded.

Well...lots of kids will say the same thing after reading that and then start threads such as (TTT law school vs. So and so shit law school: Should I go?) or (Clown law school vs ### toilet law school: help me decide!!).

The difference between undergrad and law school is that very few of the most expensive private colleges actually make anyone pay sticker who can't afford it. The Ivies might be $200,000 at "sticker" but if your parents can't pay it then you'll get a whole lot of grants to make up the difference. No reason to be borrowing anything like that much money to go to college. Unless you get suckered into going to NYU for undergrad.